Cotonuo Agreement

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made by his Department on compliance with the Cotonuo Agreement by the EU in its negotiations of economic partnership agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The DTI and the Department for International Development work closely together on issues relating to the Cotonou Agreement, in particular on economic partnership agreements.
	Article 37.4 of the Cotonou Agreement states that the parties should carry out a formal comprehensive review in 2006. The UK was active in ensuring that the ACP had full participation in the review. All six EPA regions completed their reviews by April this year and these were endorsed by the EU-ACP Council of Ministers on 25 May 2007.

Departments: Recruitment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many recruits to her Department were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge university in each year since 1995.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 14 June 2007
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold educational details on all staff centrally, and the full information could be collated only at disproportionate cost. Some details are available from 1997 for the FCO fast stream, administered by the Cabinet Office, and for the FCO operational stream from 1997-2000 and 2006. 2007 data is not yet available, as the final list of FCO fast stream and operational appointments has not yet been made.
	
		
			  Oxbridge appointments to the fast stream since 1997 
			   Percentage of intake from Oxbridge  Number of appointments from Oxbridge 
			 1997 48 — 
			 1998 65 — 
			 1999 44 — 
			 2000 57 20 
			 2001 61 13 
			 2002 47 17 
			 2003 51 18 
			 2004 40 10 
			 2005 44 8 
			 2006 50 13 
		
	
	
		
			  Oxbridge appointments to the operational stream since 1997 
			   Percentage of intake from Oxbridge  Number of appointments from Oxbridge 
			 1997 6 — 
			 1998 7 — 
			 1999 4 — 
			 2000 4 — 
			 2001 — — 
			 2002 — — 
			 2003 — — 
			 2004 — — 
			 2005 — — 
			 2006 8 6 
		
	
	Our recruitment processes are run on the principle of fair and open competition, as laid down in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code (www.civilservicecommissioners.gov.uk). The minimum education requirement to apply at fast stream is a lower-second class degree in any subject. To apply at operational stream the minimum education requirement is a degree or 2 A-levels with GCSE Mathematics and English Language (grade A* - C) or five GCSEs including Mathematics and English Language (grade A* - C).
	Our work experience schemes for undergraduates in 2006 offered placements to students from 18 different universities. The FCO is also active in outreach activities, such as careers fairs and community business events throughout the UK. Through this, the FCO aims to recruit a talented and diverse work force that reflects the society we serve.

Vehicle Emissions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in lowering the average level of emissions per vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: Voluntary agreements are currently in place requiring the car industry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions of new cars by around 25 per cent. from 1995 levels (to an average of 140 grammes per kilometre by 2008-09). However, these agreements are unlikely to be met -the 2004 average for the EU was 163g/km. The Commission is now proposing mandatory new car CO2 targets and the UK supports this approach.

A21: Baldslow

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the implementation of the Baudslow link improvement on the A21 will be accelerated.

Stephen Ladyman: The A21 Baldslow Link trunk road improvement is being promoted by the Highways Agency and is a complementary scheme to the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road which is being promoted by East Sussex county council. The Baldslow Link has been prioritised by the south east region for funding from the regional funding allocation with a start of works in 2010-11. It is currently intended that the Baldslow Link would start construction at about the time the Bexhill Hastings Link Road opens to traffic. While planning of the scheme is currently on time, the Highways Agency will seek to improve on this.

A21: Baldslow

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the delivery of the Baldslow link improvement on the A21; and whether it will be brought forward to be delivered in parallel with the Bexhill to Hastings link road;
	(2)  when he expects the Baldslow link improvement to be delivered; and whether funding has been allocated for its construction.

Stephen Ladyman: The A21 Baldslow Link trunk road improvement is being promoted by the Highways Agency and is a complementary scheme to the Bexhill - Hastings Link Road which is being promoted by East Sussex county council. The Baldslow Link has been prioritised by the south east region for funding from the Regional Funding Allocation with a start of works in 2010-11. It is currently intended that the Baldslow Link would start construction at about the time the Bexhill Hastings Link Road opens to traffic. While planning of the scheme is currently on time, the Highways Agency will seek to improve on this.

Bus Services: Concessions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  who will administer the national off peak free bus travel scheme for pensioners and disabled people;
	(2)  what the expected start date is for the introduction of the national off peak free bus travel scheme for pensioners and disabled people;
	(3)  from which budget the national off peak free bus travel scheme for pensioners and disabled people will be funded;
	(4)  what eligibility conditions for travel will be in place for the national off peak free bus travel scheme for pensioners and disabled people.

Gillian Merron: As announced in the 2006 Budget the national bus concession will be introduced in April next year (the exact date will be decided in due course). Eligibility on age or disability will be the same as for the current statutory concession—people aged 60 and over, or who come under one of the seven categories of disability listed in the Transport Act 2000, will qualify.
	Guidance to local authorities on eligibility for disabled people was published in 2001 and updated in 2005, (copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House). The Department is looking to re-issue this guidance later in the year following consultation with its Concessionary Fares Working Group.
	An eligible person, on the presentation of a pass, will be entitled to travel for free on any local bus service in England from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays and at any time at weekends and Bank Holidays.
	The responsibilities for administering the concession—assessing eligibility, issuing passes, reimbursing the bus operators and enforcement—will rest with the existing travel concession authorities (TCAs). These are shire districts, unitary authorities, the Passenger Transport Executives in the metropolitan areas, and the London boroughs (we expect the London councils to administer the concession on behalf of the boroughs). The Concessionary Travel Bill currently before Parliament includes an order making power to change the tier of local government at which the concessionary fares is administered in the future, for example from shire districts to county councils.
	TCAs can voluntarily enter into joint arrangements with other authorities e.g. a county council could administer the scheme on behalf of its districts. The Department is keen to see such arrangements, due to the administrative efficiencies.
	The Concessionary Travel Bill will require the TCA to issue passes to those people that qualify, on age or disability grounds, who appear to have their 'sole and principal' residence in the TCA.
	The extra funding (up to £250 million per year) will either be distributed via the formula grant system (as is the case for current funding of mandatory concession) or specific grant. A decision on the funding route will be made in due course.

Public Transport: Costs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the change in cost to the passenger of public transport in real terms in each year since 1997, broken down by mode of transport.

Gillian Merron: Table 1 shows in index form bus and coach fares and rail fares in real terms in each year since 1997.
	
		
			  Table 1: real changes in the cost of transport: UK 1997 to 2006—(Index 1997 = 100) 
			   Bus and coach fares  Rail fares 
			 1997 100.0 100.0 
			 1998 99.9 100.7 
			 1999 101.9 102.8 
			 2000 103.0 101.5 
			 2001 105.4 103.6 
			 2002 106.9 104.2 
			 2003 108.2 103.0 
			 2004 110.5 103.9 
			 2005 114.6 105.1 
			 2006 112.6 105.9 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	Between 1997 and 2006 the real cost of bus and coach fares have increased by 12.6 per cent. and rail fares have increased by 5.9 per cent.

Railways: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the transport infrastructure of  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex for the purpose of (i) facilitating economic growth, (ii) reducing environmental damage and (iii) widening access to services and opportunities to the population.

Gillian Merron: Local transport plans (LTP) are the mechanism by which local authorities undertake transport improvements at the local level. The objectives of the East Sussex LTP include the reduction of congestion to improve the efficiency of the transport network, the protection of the environment and the improvement of access to services. east Sussex county council received over £10 million from Government to implement its LTP in 2007-08. In Eastbourne the plan's objectives will be delivered via the Eastbourne local area transport strategy which is aimed at addressing local needs.
	In addition a number of improvements to the trunk road network in east Sussex have been prioritised by the south east region for funding from the regional funding allocation for major transport schemes. The A27 Southerham-Beddingham improvement (£32 million) is currently under construction and, subject to successful completion of statutory procedures, the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road (£47 million) and the A21 Baldslow junction improvement (£18 million), have both been prioritised for funding by the region over the next five years to 2010-11. East Sussex county council have reported that the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road estimated cost has increased to around £89 million and the region are currently considering whether it is still a priority at the higher cost. In addition, £15 million worth of congestion relief improvements on the A27 at Wilmington have also been prioritised by the region for 2015-16.
	On 22 May we published a consultation document 'Strengthening Local Delivery' accompanied by a draft Local Transport Bill. The draft Bill would ensure that local authorities have the right mix of powers to improve their local bus services, following on from the proposals in 'Putting Passengers First'.
	The Concessionary Bus Travel Bill, currently before Parliament, provides for a national bus travel concession for older and disabled people in England. The Bill extends the existing statutory concession of free off-peak local bus travel within an eligible person's local authority area, introduced in 2006, to free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England, widening access to services and opportunities for a significant Eastbourne and east Sussex residents.
	With regard to Rail investment, figures are not available specifically for east Sussex but the county will benefit from a number of recent improvements. All older 'slam-door' rolling stock south of the Thames has been removed from the network. The electric multiple units now used by southern TOCs are less than three years old, and are more reliable, and faster than their predecessors. With the accompanying power supply upgrade of recent years, passengers on Southern, Southeastern and South West Trains have also benefited from £2.7 billion worth of investment since 2003.

Trains: Bicycles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that  (a) there is adequate space for a reasonable number of bicycles on each train and  (b) secure cycle parking is available at stations.

Tom Harris: Bidders for the franchises that are out to tender currently (East Midlands, West Midlands, New Cross Country and InterCity East Coast) are required to consider bike-rail integration and facilities at stations in their bid submissions. The Government's aspiration is to see 95 per cent. of journeys originating from stations with adequate cycle parking facilities.
	Last year the Government asked Cycling England, our advisory group on cycling, to look into how we might better encourage bike and rail journeys. Cycling England has accepted this remit and is now looking to see where progress can best be made further to improve bike and rail integration.
	Also, we will continue to encourage Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to carry bikes on trains where possible. This is in line with the Cycling Policy document first published by the former Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in 2004 and recently adopted by the Department. The Cycling Policy document advises TOCs to facilitate the carriages of cycles on off-peak services and encourages the carriage of folding cycles at all times. However, I accept that during the peak hours, where capacity is under pressure, there will be occasions where it is in the interests of the majority of passengers not to permit non-folding cycles on board.
	It is right that TOCs are given a steer by Government as to how they should ensure they are fully maximising the potential of bike and rail to help reduce car use. However, TOCs are best placed to know where and when pressure on services exists and they must be free to impose restrictions accordingly. Although I hope that such restrictions are carefully considered and kept to a minimum.

Departments: Public Bodies

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) budget was and (b) staffing numbers were for each of her Department's arm's length bodies in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Such information as is available is shown in the following tables. Budget and staffing numbers for the Department's Arms Length Bodies are not held centrally prior to 2003-04 and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Arm's Length Bodies—Summary of departmental budgets and whole-time equivalent (WTE) posts for 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   2003-04 
			  Name of Arm's Length Body  Departmental recurrent budgets (£000)  WTE posts 
			  Regulators   
			 HC 69,713 771 
			 MHAC 3,604 36 
			 Monitor 2,794 28 
			 CSCI 109,860 2,622 
			 HFEA 4,267 106 
			 ROC/HTA 1,210 18 
			 CHRE 1,470 8 
			 GSCC 9,994 173 
			 PMETB 2,089 27 
			 DVTA 265 4 
			 MHRA- Devices 2,600 806 
			  Standards   
			 NICE 16,602 92 
			 had 11,623 138 
			  Public Welfare   
			 NPSA 16,850 149 
			 NCAA 5,944 89 
			 HPA 107,276 2,726 
			 NRPB 6,385 349 
			 PHLS 4,300 69 
			 NBSB 15,799 308 
			 NTA 8,936 88 
			 CPPIH 24,639 197 
			  Central Services   
			 NBA (inc BPL) 0 5,599 
			 UKT 9,493 121 
			 NHS LA 5,165 217 
			 FHSAA 870 15 
			 NHS AC 3,447 49 
			 NHSU 27,000 262 
			 NHS MOD 228,797 842 
			 NHS IA/HSCIC 253,022 1,127 
			 DPB 23,790 321 
			 PPA 66,187 2,438 
			 NHS CFSMS 13,352 250 
			 NHS PA 20,858 339 
			 NHS PASA 20,268 333 
			 NHS LOGS 0 1,403 
			 NHS DIRECT 120,440 1,987 
			 NHS PROF 27,000 671 
			 NHS EST 18,987 412 
			 Total 1,264,896 25,190 
		
	
	
		
			  2004/05 
			  Name of Arm's Length Body  Departmental recurrent  budgets (£000)  WTE posts (estimate) 
			  Regulators   
			 HC 71,500 771 
			 MHAC 4,815 36 
			 Monitor 16,000 28 
			 CSCI 112,677 2,622 
			 HFEA 5,850 106 
			 ROC/HTA 0 18 
			 CHRE 2,000 8 
			 GSCC 14,213 173 
			 PMETB 3,874 27 
			 DVTA 240 4 
			 MHRA- Devices 13,000 806 
			  Standards   
			 NICE 18,815 92 
			 HdA 12,878 138 
			  Public Welfare   
			 NPSA 15,505 149 
			 NCAA 10,550 89 
			 HPA 121,900 2,726 
			 NRPB 6,695 349 
			 PHLS 0 69 
			 NBSB 16,220 308 
			 NTA 9,800 88 
			 CPPIH 34,725 197 
			  Central Services   
			 NBA (inc BPL) 19,988 5,599 
			 UKT 12,048 121 
			 NHS LA 5,152 217 
			 FHSAA 1,411 15 
			 NHS AC 3,877 49 
			 NHSU 43,676 262 
			 NHS MOD 218,000 842 
			 NHS IA/HSCIC 277,017 1,127 
			 DPB 25,500 321 
			 PPA 80,048 2,438 
			 NHS CFSMS 16,370 250 
			 NHS PA 22,275 339 
			 NHS PASA 20,841 333 
			 NHS LOGS 0 1,403 
			 NHS DIRECT 18,064 1,987 
			 NHS PROF 27,000 671 
			 NHS EST 16,638 412 
			 Total 1,299,162 25,190 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  Name of Arm's Length Body  Departmental recurrent budgets (£000)  WTE posts 
			  Regulators   
			 HC 72,232 771 
			 MHAC 4,884 43 
			 Monitor 15,000 28 
			 CSCI 102,230 2,492 
			 HFEA 4,623 103 
			 HTA 1,000 20 
			 CHRE 2,000 11 
			 GSCC 12,473 264 
			 PMETB 3,229 67 
			 DVTA 252 in BSA 
			 MHRA-Devices 15,523 827 
			  Standards   
			 NICE 29,268 217 
			  Public Welfare   
			 NPSA 27,371 311 
			 HPA 151,865 3,287 
			 NBSB 16,576 313 
			 NTA 10,205 126 
			 CPPIH 31,459 118 
			  Central Services   
			 NHS BT 50,407 6,155 
			 NHS LA 3,041 176 
			 NHS AC 5,256 57 
			 HSCIC 52,539 366 
			 NHS BSA 142,638 3,084 
			 NHS PASA 22,188 353 
			 NHS DIRECT 13,466 3,461 
			 NHS PROF 23,000 742 
			 NHS EST 17,901 0 
			 CfH 172,740 605 
			 NIII 100,000 170 
			 NHS LOGS 0 1,462 
			 Total 1,103,366 25,629 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			  Name of Arm's Length Body  Departmental recurrent budgets (£000)  WTE posts 
			  Regulators   
			 HC 72,267 889 
			 MHAC 5,016 42 
			 Monitor 12,324 28 
			 CSCI 95,586 2,335 
			 HFEA 2,091 82 
			 HTA 922 42 
			 CHRE 2,000 12 
			 GSCC 12,098 301 
			 PMETB 2,889 51 
			 MHRA-Devices 10,982 831 
			  Standards   
			 NICE 29,458 230 
			  Public Welfare   
			 NPSA 31,333 299 
			 HPA 159,884 3,248 
			 NBSB 17,273 313 
			 NTA 10,443 166 
			 CPPIH 29,609 114 
			  Central Services   
			 NHS BT 43,926 6,110 
			 NHS LA 3,041 176 
			 NHS AC 4,700 42 
			 HSCIC 39,424 354 
			 NHS BSA 129,530 2,722 
			 NHS PASA 28,110 332 
			 NHS DIRECT 0 2,227 
			 NHS PROF 13,300 740 
			 CfH 152,380 605 
			 NIII 68,950 175 
			 Total 977,536 22,466 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			  Name of Arm's Length Body  Departmental recurrent budgets (£000)  WTE posts 
			  Regulators   
			 HC 67,264 771 
			 MHAC 5,413 42 
			 Monitor 12,657 50 
			 CSCI 66,350 2,098 
			 HFEA 2,147 82 
			 HTA 1,094 42 
			 CHRE 2,028 12 
			 GSCC 11,515 228 
			 PMETB 2,695 50 
			 MHRA-Devices 11,057 862 
			  Standards   
			 NICE 30,649 233 
			  Public Welfare   
			 NPSA 30,077 294 
			 HPA 160,411 3,228 
			 NBSB 18,624 312 
			 NTA 10,837 132 
			 CPPIH 27,300 114 
			  Central Services   
			 NHS BT 33,732 5,927 
			 NHS LA 3,037 176 
			 NHS AC 3,435 42 
			 HSCIC 33,785 316 
			 NHS BSA 125,432 2,409 
			 NHS PASA 28,246 332 
			 NHS DIRECT 0 0 
			 NHS PROF 9,932 740 
			 CfH 152,380 605 
			 NIII 65,325 175 
			 ENB 1,200  
			 Total 916,622 19,272 
			  Notes: 1. Figures before 2003-04 are not available without further inquiries. 2. Whole-time equivalent (WTE) figures for 2004-05 are not available without further inquiries, the 2003-04 figures have been used as an estimate. 3. WTE figures relate to the end of the financial year. 4. The WTE figures are for the number of posts and not the number of staff. 5. Budget figures are for recurrent funding including capital charges. 6. The Connecting for Health (CfH) figures reflect the element of NHS Information Authority (NHS IA) funding that was transferred to CfH. 7. Some Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) in the table are not directly funded by the Department but WTE figures are show as they count towards a Departmental ALB Review target. 8. Headcount figures are not available for ENB.  Source: Information held centrally by the Department 
		
	
	
		
			  Key to Arm's Length Body abbreviations 
			  Abbreviation  ALB name 
			 CfH Connecting for Health 
			 CHRE Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 
			 CPPIH Commission for Patient & Public Involvement in Health 
			 CSCI Commission for Social Care Inspection 
			 DPB Dental Practice Board 
			 DVTA Dental Vocational Training Authority 
			 ENB English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting 
			 FHSAA Family Health Services Appeal Authority 
			 GSCC General Social Care Council 
			 HC Healthcare Commission 
			 had Health Development Agency 
			 HFEA Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority 
			 HPA Health Protection Agency 
			 MHAC Mental Health Act Commission 
			 MHRA- Devices Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency — Devices 
			 Monitor Monitor — Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts 
			 NBA (inc BPL) National Blood Authority 
			 NBSB National Biological Standards Board 
			 NCAA National Clinical Assessment Authority 
			 NHS AC Appointments Commission 
			 NHS BSA NHS Business Services Authority 
			 NHS BT NHS Blood & Transplant 
			 NHS CFSMS NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service 
			 NHS DIRECT NHS DIRECT 
			 NHS EST NHS Estates 
			 NHS IA/HSCIC NHS Information Authority / Health & Social Care Information Centre 
			 NHS LA NHS Litigation Authority 
			 NHS LOGS NHS Logistics Authority 
			 NHS MOD NHS Modernisation Agency 
			 NHS PA NHS Pensions Agency 
			 NHS PASA NHS Purchasing & Supply Agency 
			 NHS PROF NHS Professionals 
			 NHSU NHS University 
			 NICE National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence 
			 NIII NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement 
			 NPSA National Patient Safety Agency 
			 NRPB National Radiological Protection Board 
			 NTA National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse 
			 PHLS Public Health Laboratory Service Board 
			 PMETB Postgraduate Medical Education & Training Board 
			 PPA Prescription Pricing Authority 
			 ROC/HTA Retained Organs Committee / Human Tissue Authority 
			 UKT UK Transplant

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) objective and  (b) timescale is of the Valuation Office Agency's (i) Enterprise Resource Planning and (ii) World Class programmes.

Dawn Primarolo: The objective of the world-class programme is as an enabler to deliver the VOAs World-Class Vision, which is set out in the VGA's Forward Plan 2006-10.
	The Enterprise Resource Planning system is designed to modernise and integrate back-office functions within the VGA in HR, Finance, Payroll and Procurement. The VGA is planning to introduce ERP in the week beginning 9 July.

Families

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families with a child under the age of 18 years where there is  (a) one parent or guardian and  (b) two parents or guardians.

John Healey: The information requested fall within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 19 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your request for the number of families with a child under the age of 18 years where there is (a) one parent or guardian and (b) two parents or guardians. I am replying in her absence. (143594)
	The available figures are estimates from the Labour Force Survey of the numbers of families with dependent children in the United Kingdom in each year. A child is considered to be dependent if they are aged under 16 or 1648 but in full-time education. For this reason, the figures include some children aged 18 (those in full-time education). In 2006, it is estimated that there were 1,879 thousand lone parent families with dependent children and 5,474 couple families with dependent children.

Algae

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which agricultural nitrates are contributing to algal blooms in the area covered by the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department and I understand the Welsh Assembly Government (who are responsible for water quality in and around Wales) do not directly carry out such assessments.
	The eutrophication status (of which algal blooms are a consideration) of the waters around the UK coastline is reviewed on a regular basis by the Environment Agency (England and Wales) for the purposes of the nitrate and urban waste water treatment directives. It is also reviewed by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), for the Convention on the Prevention of Pollution of the Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) Convention. The latest review under the directives was 2005-06 and under OSPAR was 2002, with a further OSPAR review being completed in the spring of 2007.
	Algal blooms in coastal waters are a natural phenomenon. They can be exacerbated by nutrient pollution from human activities e.g. agricultural practices and from sewage. The links between nutrient enrichment and the occurrence of marine algal blooms are complex and an area of continuing research.
	The Environment Agency inform me that none of the north-west coastal and marine waters in this Sea Fisheries Committee area are identified as at risk from nutrients in water framework directive risk assessments carried between 2003-05. These will be reviewed as part of ongoing work for water framework directive.

Cetaceans

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of bottle nose and common dolphins and harbour porpoises which will be killed or injured by foreign pair trawlers fishing within the UK 12 mile limit in the next 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department funds research which is carried out by the Sea Mammal Research Unit to monitor by-catch in all relevant UK fishery sectors, including the bass pair trawl fishery.
	Results for the 2004-05 pair trawl fishery for bass show a marked decrease from the preceding year for the total numbers of dolphins observed as by-catch and the number of dolphins stranding in the south west coast has similarly decreased this year. It is, however, too early, on the basis of one year's data alone, to link these reductions to the 12 mile ban. Further analysis of the effectiveness of the 12 mile ban on sea bass pair trawling will be undertaken as more data becomes available. The funding for cetacean by-catch and strandings monitoring has been extended to 2010. 2005-06 survey data are being analysed and the results will be published in the near future.

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was.

Barry Gardiner: From its inception in 2001 to 2003-04, the Department did not record separate advertising costs as part of its overall communications expenditure. The figures for key advertising campaigns from 2004-05 are as follows.
	
		
			£ 
			 Personal food imports 2004-05 92,343 
			 Personal food imports 2005-06 94,278 
			 Personal food imports 2006-07 81,732 
			 Avian flu 2005-06 185,976 
		
	
	The Department procures its advertising services from the Central Office of Information (COI). Advertising agencies are selected from the COI rosters and supply their services to the COI, not to Defra directly. Personal Food Imports advertising was conducted by Media Moguls and Avian Flu advertising was conducted by Barkers.
	No other organisations have supplied advertising services to the Department.
	For costs for Defra's delivery bodies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Norwood) on 6 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1819-22W.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much the Waste and Resources Action Programme has paid to the Eunomia consultancy; and for what purpose;
	(2)  what the procurement process was by which the Eunomia consultancy was selected to undertake research into charging for the collection of household rubbish;
	(3)  how much the Eunomia consultancy was paid for its research into new waste charges for the collection of household rubbish.

Ben Bradshaw: Since its inception in 2001, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has awarded work to a total value of £349,000 (including VAT) to Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd. This has covered a number of projects as follows:
	i) 'Managing Biowastes from Households in the UK: Cost Benefit Analysis' (June 2007), and the related study, 'Dealing with Food Waste in the UK' (March 2007).
	ii) Technical support to two local authority partners under WRAP'S Food Waste Collections Trials project.
	iii) Technical support to local authorities under the WRAP ROTATE programme—seven projects in total.
	iv) Technical report: 'Resources from waste in the UK: A Forward Look' (2005).
	v) Technical report: 'Development of Recycling and Material Markets in the UK' (2002).
	vi) Technical report: 'The Size of the UK Recycling and Re-use Industry' (2002).
	Eunomia Consultancy was selected following a competitive tendering exercise under the call-off contract established as part of Defra's Waste Implementation Programme. The purpose of the call-off contract is to provide consultancy support for projects requiring specialist input over a short working programme timescale. Three contractors available under the call-off contract submitted tenders for the work. These were analysed using Defra's standard tender appraisal procedure.
	The total cost of work undertaken by Eunomia Consulting on the project 'Modelling the Impact of Household Charging', was £41,615.00, excluding VAT.

Energy: Conservation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on green workplace initiatives.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and Defra Ministers, have held discussions recently with colleagues from other Departments, such as the Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Work and Pensions, on the subject of greening the workplace, as part of the wider discussions on climate change. In addition, Defra co-chairs the Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee (TUSDAC) with the General Secretary of Prospect. Green workplace, energy and climate change issues are raised through this forum.

Energy: Manufacturing Industries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on development of a green manufacturing strategy.

Ian Pearson: Defra Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with the Department for Trade and Industry on various aspects of the greener business agenda and promoting a low carbon, low waste economy. This is reflected in the Energy White Paper and Waste Strategy which build on the Government's broader Sustainable Development Strategy.
	The Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Trade and Industry jointly chair the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance. The commission was established to advise the UK on the opportunity that environmental protection can present for wealth creation and employment growth.

Waste Management: Standards

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what savings have been achieved on each of the business resource efficiency and waste efficiency targets in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the cost per tonne was for reductions made by the business resource efficiency and waste programme in  (a) waste to landfill,  (b) hazardous waste and  (c) water; and how much carbon dioxide has been saved under the programme since its inception.

Ben Bradshaw: Delivery bodies conducting programmes under the wider business resource efficiency and waste programme (BREW) report on a number of environmental and business-based 'metrics' covering:
	 Environmental:
	i) reduction of greenhouse gas or equivalents
	ii) virgin raw materials saved
	iii) reduced hazardous waste arisings
	iv) decreased water usage
	v) waste diverted from landfill
	 Business:
	vi) cost savings
	vii) new business sales
	The metrics system was developed during the first year of the programme and is still being worked on to ensure a greater level of consistency in the methodologies used by different delivery bodies. As the methodology has not yet been perfected, the year one (2005-06) results are being viewed with caution and should only be used to give an indication of the savings being made. There are areas of the programme where the work cannot be measured against the metrics. For example, the Environment Agency work to reduce flytipping, if successful, could increase the amount of waste sent to landfill.
	The aggregated results for 200506, for the delivery bodies which reported in-year savings against some or all of the metrics, are shown in the following table. It is important to note that there will also be savings from these interventions in future years not counted here:
	
		
			  Metric  In-year result  Cost per unit reduction for these in-year results (£) 
			 Increased sales £14.6 million 1.27 
			 Cost savings to business £88 million 0.21 
			 Virgin raw material savings 682,000 tonnes 27.24 
			 Carbon savings 87,300 tonnes of carbon(1) 212.77 
			 Water savings 5,630,000 cubic metres 3.30 
			 Waste diverted from landfill 675,000 tonnes 27.52 
			 Hazardous waste savings 120,000 tonnes 154.79 
			 (1) For consistency, the delivery bodies that have reported in carbon dioxide have had their figures converted to carbon. Their carbon dioxide figures were multiplied by 12/44. 
		
	
	Work is currently underway to assess the impact of programme spending in 2006-07.

Conveyancing: Fees and Charges

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what figures her Department holds on the average cost charged by individual local authorities for property searches.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of Fair Trading 2005 report "Property Searches—A market study" showed the range of prices for LA searches from £55 to £269 with a median price of £119. We are currently looking at ways of updating this data. 50 local authorities have recently reduced the cost of their searches by an average of 20 per cent. in advance of the introduction of Home Information Packs.

East Midlands Regional Plan

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have made formal submissions to the consultation on the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan.

Meg Munn: The formal consultation on the draft East Midlands Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands) ended on 20 December 2006. During the consultation 1284 responses were submitted and a list of all the respondents and a summary of representations is posted on the East Midlands RSS website:
	http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/rss/east_midlands/index.htm.
	Among the responses were 110 representations from Parish and Town Councils, 59 from local authorities (including all 46 local authorities in the East Midlands Region) and 23 from Government departments and other official agencies (including Regional Assemblies).
	The local authorities that submitted formal representations included:
	Amber Valley BC, Ashfield DC, Aylesbury Vale DC, Bassetlaw DC, Bedford BC, Bedfordshire CC, Blaby DC, Bolsover DC, Boston BC, Broxtowe BC, Cambridgeshire CC, Charnwood BC, Cherwell DC, Chesterfield BC, Corby BC, Daventry DC, Derby City, Derbyshire CC, Derbyshire Dales DC, East Lindsey DC, East Northamptonshire DC, East Staffordshire BC, Erewash BC, Gedling BC, Harborough DC, High Peak BC, Hinckley and Bosworth BC, Kettering BC, Leicester City, Leicestershire CC, Lincoln City, Lincolnshire CC, Mansfield DC, Melton BC, Newark and Sherwood DC, North East Derbyshire DC, North East Lincolnshire council, North Kesteven DC, North Lincolnshire council, North West Leicestershire DC, Northampton BC, Northamptonshire CC, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire CC, Nuneaton and Bedworth BC, Oadby and Wigston BC, Peak District National Park Authority, Peterborough City, Rugby BC, Rushcliffe BC, Rutland CC, Sheffield City, South Derbyshire DC, South Holland DC, South Kesteven DC, South Northamptonshire DC, Staffordshire CC, Wellingborough BC and West Lindsey DC.

East of England Plan

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many official submissions were made in response to the public consultation on the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan.

Meg Munn: The formal consultation on the draft East Midlands Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands) ended on 20 December 2006. During the consultation 1,284 responses were submitted and a list of all the respondents and a summary of representations is posted the East Midlands RSS website:
	http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/rss/east_midlands/index.htm.
	Among the responses were 110 representations from Parish and Town Councils, 59 from local authorities and 23 from Government departments and other official agencies (including Regional Assemblies).

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) oral and  (b) written representations her Department has received from the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on Home Information Packs.

Ruth Kelly: The right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich has sent two letters on Home Information Packs. The first was written on behalf of a constituent and was dated 30 November 2005. The second was a request for a meeting to discuss the implementation of Home Information Packs with representatives of the Construction Industry Council and was dated 26 July 2006. The meeting was held on 30 November 2006 with the Minister for Housing and Planning. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has frequent meetings with her colleagues during which a variety of issues are discussed.

Regional Development Agencies

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the  (a) purpose,  (b) date and  (c) location was of each tourism event attended by Ministers in her Department in the last six months; who attended each event; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the  (a) purpose and  (b) date was of each meeting of Ministers in her Department with representatives from the tourism industry in the last six months; who attended each meeting; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what the  (a) purpose,  (b) date and  (c) location was of each meeting of Ministers in her Department with representatives from (i) regional development agencies and (ii) VisitBritain in the last six months; who attended each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is set out in the table. However, complete lists of organisations for events not organised by DCMS are not available.
	
		
			  Minister  Purpose  Date  Event Location  Attendees 
			 Tessa Jowell Introductory meeting with the Chair of Visit Britain 22 January 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			  
			 Tessa Jowell British Tourism Week launch and reception 12 March 2007 Tower of London Royal representative 
			 Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism 
			 VisitBritain 
			 UKinbound 
			  
			 Tessa Jowell British Travel Trade Fair 13 March 2007 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham VisitBritain 
			 Number of MPs 
			 Wales Tourism Alliance 
			 Northern Ireland Tourist Board 
			 Tourism Ireland 
			 Over 370 exhibiting businesses and 2,400 buyers 
			  
			 Tessa Jowell Follow up meeting with the Chair of Visit Britain. 24 April 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			  
			 Richard Caborn Skills for Sport and Tourism Seminar 22 May 2007 House of Commons Peoplelst 
			 SkillsActive 
			 Members of the Associate Parliamentary Skills Group 
			 Members of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Sport and Tourism 
			  
			 Richard Caborn VisitBritain strategy for attracting major sporting events to Britain 1 May 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			 Vero Communications 
			 UK Sport 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discussion on tourist guiding provision 9 January 2007 DCMS Members of the Amicus Parliamentary Group 
			 Members of Amicus 
			 Association of Tourist Guiding 
			 Institute of Tourist Guiding 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discussion on the Smoking Ban 11 January 2007 DCMS Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers 
			 Bob Cotton, Chief Executive, British Association Hospitality 
			 The Bingo Association 
			 British Holiday and Home Park Association 
			 British Beer and Pub Association 
			 Business in Sport and Leisure 
			 Bar Entertainment and Dance Association 
			 Confederation of Registered Clubs' Associations 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Tourism Society's Prospects Tourism Conference 11 January 2007 Sofitel St. James Hotel, London Association of British Travel Agents 
			 VisitBritain 
			 PKF Consultants 
			 TMI Hospitality Catering 
			 Melvin Consulting Ltd. 
			 Members of the Tourism Society 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discuss use of the river Thames for tourism and commuter transport, particularly during the 2012 Games 15 January 2007 DCMS Thames Clippers 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Update on the National Skills Strategy 17 January 2007 DCMS People 1st 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward A meeting with representatives from the events industry 17 January 2007 DCMS Business Tourism Partnership 
			 Eventia 
			 British Association of Conference Destinations and Association of British Professional Conference Organisers 
			 Events Industry Alliance 
			 VisitBritain 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Meeting on Tourism 2012 Strategy 23 January 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			 London Organising Committee Of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			 Local Government Association 
			 Chief Executive, People 1st 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 Business in Sport and Leisure 
			 Tourism Together 
			 Visit Wales 
			 Scottish Executive 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Regular update meeting with BHA 24 January 2007 DCMS British Hospitality Association 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Meeting with Tourism Together' (the Local Authority Tourism umbrella body) 24 January 2007 DCMS British Hospitality Association 
			 One NorthEast 
			 Tourism Society 
			 DPUK 
			 Institute of Sport, parks and Leisure 
			 British Resorts and Destinations Association 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Accessible Tourism and the Issues Raised in the welcome Legacy Consultation 7 February 2007 DCMS Tourism for All 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Follow up to 15 January meeting about the river Thames 8 February 2007 DCMS Thames Clippers 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward UK Brand Perceptions—The Anholt Index 19 February 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Tourism 2012 Strategy 19 February 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			 Visit London 
			 London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			 Local Government Association 
			 People 1st 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 Tourism Together 
			 Visit Wales 
			 Scottish Executive 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Regular meeting with the Tourism Alliance 20 February 2007 Hilton Hotel, London Tourism Alliance 
			 English UK 
			 Association of Leading Visitor Attractions 
			 Tourism Southeast 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions 
			 VisitBritain 
			 British Beer and Pub Association 
			 Business Tourism Partnership 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 Visitor Attractions Forum 
			 CBI 
			 South East England Development Agency 
			 Historic Houses Association 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discuss VisitBritain's operations in the key US market 26 February 2007 Los Angeles US VisitBritain personnel 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discuss a range of tourism issues 28 February 2007 DCMS Visit London 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Launch of People 1st's National Skills Strategy for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries 7 March 2007 One Whitehall Place, London Peoplelst 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 ,Merlin Entertainment Group 
			 VisitBritain 
			 Learning and Skills Council 
			 Leitch Review, HM Treasury 
			 Northwest Regional Development Agency 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			 A mixture of leading employers and trade associations-representative bodies from across the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries and education and government, were also present 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward The SHINE Awards - For Women 's Achievements in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, 2007 9 March 2007 Italian Institute of Culture, London Shine people and Places 
			 Senior professionals from the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, supporting industries and event sponsors. 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Launch of British Tourism Week 12-18 March 12 March 2007 Tower of London Royal representative 
			 SoS, DCMS 
			 VisitBritain 
			 Ukinbound 
			 Representatives from tourism industry organisations and businesses 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward British Hospitality Association Council meeting 19 March 2007 Grosvenor House, London VisitBritain 
			 Marriott 
			 Compass 
			 Best Western 
			 De Vere Group 
			 Azcor Group 
			 Jarvis Hotels 
			 Sodaxo 
			 Aramark 
			 Whitbread 
			 Travelodge 
			 Choice Hotels 
			 IHG Group (Holiday Inn) 
			 Hilton 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward 2012 Tourism Strategy meeting 27 March 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 Business in Sport and Leisure 
			 British Resorts and Destinations Association 
			 People 1st 
			 London Organising Committee Of the Olympic Games 
			 (LOCOG) 
			 Local Government Association 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			 VisitLondon 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Meeting with the British Holiday and Home Parks Association 14 May 2007 Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Norfolk British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 Representatives from Kelling Heath 
			 VisitNorwich 
			 Norfolk Tourism Executive 
			 East of England Regional Development Agency 
			 East of England Tourism 
			 Norfolk Tourism 
			 VisitBritain 
			 Representatives from tourism industry businesses and local government. 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Regular meeting with the Tourism Alliance 18 April 2007 Marriott County, London Tourism Alliance Hall, 
			 English UK 
			 Association of Leading Visitor Attractions 
			 Tourism Southeast 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions 
			 VisitBritain 
			 British Beer and Pub Association 
			 Business Tourism Partnership 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 Visitor Attractions Forum 
			 CBI 
			 South East England Development Agency 
			 Historic Houses Association 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discussion on air transport issues 24 April 2007 Trafalgar Hotel, London Airways British 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Visit to Stanley House Hotel (to meet North West winners of the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2007) and Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. 26 April 2007 Blackburn (Stanley House Hotel) (Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery): Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board 
			 Culture North West 
			 Lancashire Economic Partnership 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 
			 National Football Museum 
			 Blackpool Council 
			 Ribble Valley Borough Council 
			 Representatives Number One Bed and Breakfast, Blackpool 
			 Representatives Stanley House Hotel 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 
			 Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Meeting with North West Regional Development Agency 27 April 2007 NWRDA Offices, Renaissance House, Warrington North West Regional Development Agency 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discuss tourism issues and 2012 opportunities 30 April 2007 DCMS Travelodge Reputation inc 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Discussion with industry on UK Skills Passports 8 May 2007 Mirrabell Restaurant, London Mitchells and Butler 
			 Travelodge Hotels 
			 McDonald's 
			 Gala Coral Group 
			 Public Sector Catering Council 
			 Starbucks 
			 Marston's 
			 Premier Travel Inn 
			 People 1st 
			 British Hospitality and Restaurant Association 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward 2012 Tourism Strategy meeting 9 May 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			 Business in Sport and Leisure) 
			 London Organising Committee Of the Olympic Games (LOCOG 
			 Local Government Association 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 
			 Scottish Executive 
			 People 1st 
			 British Holiday and Home Parks Association 
			 British Hospitality Association 
			 Tourism Together 
			 Visit Wales 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Meeting with representatives of the, Historic Houses Association 14 May 2007 Houghton Hall Norfolk Representatives of Houghton Hall Historic Houses Association 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Follow up meeting to meeting on 19 February 6 June 2007 DCMS VisitBritain 
			  
			 Shaun Woodward Regional visit to Liverpool  Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre and St George's Hall, Liverpool Liverpool Culture Company 
			 The Mersey Partnership 
			 North West Development Agency 
			 Northwest Tourism Forum 
			 Representatives of the Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool 
			 Liverpool City Council 
			 Liverpool Attractions Group 
			 Liverpool Restaurant Group 
			 Liverpool Tourism Business Network

Apprenticeships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1272W, on apprentices, how many pupils in  (a) apprenticeships and  (b) advanced apprenticeships achieved separate technical certificates in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: holding answer 16 April 2007
	 Data on Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships is collected on the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). As reported in the answer of 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1272W, this can record all of the individual learning aims that an Apprentice is undertaking as part of the framework, including those identified as separate technical certificates. However, although in principle it is possible to identify those learners who have achieved both the full framework and a technical certificate, the required information is not contained on the framework record which is used to calculate success rates. The analysis would require the creation of a new methodology for bringing the information on technical certificates forward from the raw data to the framework record. The undertaking of this work would require a significant resource in terms of analyst time and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Additionally it is not possible to identify those learners who have already obtained the technical certificate through prior learning.

Foster Care: North East Region

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in the North East are  (a) in recognised foster care and  (b) subject to special guardianship or residence orders with friends or family other than their parents.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information on the numbers of children that are  (a) in recognised foster care and  (b) subject to special guardianship or residence orders with friends or family other than their parents is not collected centrally by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
	Information on looked after children who were taken into care is collected in the annual SSDA903 return which is completed by local authority social services departments in England. The SSDA903 return does not distinguish whether a foster care is recognised or not. The closest data available are the number of children in the North East of England that are in foster care at 31 March 2006. The information is available in table 4 at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000721/TablesfinalRENAMED.xls.
	The data does not distinguish whether looked after children subject to special guardianship or residence orders are with friends or family other than their parents. The closest data available are the number of children who ceased to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2006 in England by reason episode ceased and age on ceasing. Please note that the information only shows the number of children who ceased to be looked after because of the granting of a special guardianship or residence order who are living in all types of placement, and not just for those who are placed with friends or family other than their parents. The information is available in table AH at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000721/All_National_Tables.xls

Court Staff: Regional Pay Rates

Eric Illsley: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will make a statement on the introduction of regional pay rates for court staff.

Harriet Harman: Regional pay is a reality in the economy as a whole?pay variations by location are not new. The system we are introducing offers greater coherence, greater transparency and enables us to target public money most effectively on those areas where there is greatest need. It will allow us to offer competitive salaries to attract and retain staff with the skills we need, where we need them.

Crime: Greater London

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many crimes  (a) were and  (b) are alleged to have been committed in the Metropolitan Police District by offenders convicted of child abuse and wearing electronic tags in each London borough in each year since their introduction;
	(2)  how many crimes were  (a) committed and  (b) alleged to have been committed in the Metropolitan Police District by offenders wearing electronic tags in each London borough in each year since their introduction;
	(3)  how many offenders convicted of child abuse  (a) re-offended and  (b) are alleged to have re-offended in the Metropolitan Police District while wearing electronic tags in each London borough in each year since their introduction;
	(4)  how many offenders  (a) re-offended and  (b) are alleged to have re-offended in the Metropolitan Police District while wearing electronic tags in each London borough in each year since their introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data on re-offending committed by offenders wearing electronic tags, is only collated centrally for those offenders released on to the Home Detention Curfew Scheme. However, this data is not broken down by the offender's original offence or by the local government area in which any subsequent offence was committed. To provide such information would involve a manual trawl of the data and would incur disproportionate cost.
	Serious violent offenders and all sexual offenders are either statutorily excluded or are presumed unsuitable for release on HDC. In addition, prisoners convicted of other serious offences considered to be of particular concern to the public are also presumed unsuitable for release on HDC unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Crime: Schools

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safer schools partnerships in reducing crime in schools.

Bridget Prentice: A University of York evaluation published in January 2006 showed that Safer School Partnerships (SSPs) are proving effective in improving behaviour and attendance, with truancy falling significantly and pupils feeling much safer. Unfortunately this evaluation was not able to measure any changes in offending because the appropriate data was not held. However, positive feedback on changes in behaviour and offending has also been received from many police officers, teachers and other local agencies that have been involved in SSPs.

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology is used by his Department to account for its carbon emissions.

Anne McGuire: The Department reports on its carbon emissions, in line with the targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate, via the Sustainable Development in Government Report and its own annual Sustainable Development Report.
	The Department measures its carbon emissions based on the amount of energy required to run the buildings that it occupies, and to undertake the main elements of its business travel. DEFRA standard conversion factors are used uniformly throughout.
	For energy use (that is electricity and fossil fuels), actual consumption data is submitted on an annual basis to the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE), which is then weather corrected and the appropriate conversion factor applied by BRE.
	For DWP fleet vehicles, there are two methods used; fuel type, fuel consumption and engine size information is used where it is available; otherwise the appropriate DEFRA conversion factor is applied to mileage data. For business travel that staff undertake in their own vehicles, information on mileage travelled is collected and the relevant DEFRA standard conversion factor, assuming an equal split between petrol and diesel engined vehicles is applied. Mileage for hire cars will be included within this year's calculation.
	The Department participates in the Government's carbon offsetting scheme. Data is collected on the number of miles undertaken by staff on official air travel and the DEFRA conversion factor is applied.
	Data is currently not available for rail travel and taxi journeys but the Department is now investigating the feasibility of collecting and including this into our carbon emission calculations.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which piece of data is most often cited by the financial assistance scheme as the reason for delay in commencing financial assistance.

James Purnell: Non receipt of acceptable data from pension scheme trustees and administrators is the main reason for the delay in assessing pension scheme members' entitlement to the FAS. This could be because the data is incomplete, incorrect or is ambiguous, (for example containing additional information which needs to be clarified).

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce a decision on proceeding with the construction of the two new aircraft carriers for the UK.

Des Browne: holding answer 18 June 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 22 May 2007,  Official Report column 1181W to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr Williams).

Ammunition: Testing

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the rate of failure to detonate or self-destruct of M85 submunitions used in the L20A1 artillery shell on impact  (a) on hard surfaces and  (b) soft terrain.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not separately test the rate of failure of M85 submunitions on hard and soft surfaces. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 800W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) for the detail on L20A1 testing.